“I think there’s a tremendous sense of complacency in the LGBT community,” Quinto says, citing the rising number of HIV infections in adolescents. “AIDS has lost the edge of horror it possessed when it swept through the world in the ’80s. Today’s generation sees it more as something to live with and something to be much less fearful of. And that comes with a sense of, dare I say, laziness.”

Quinto is similarly candid on prophylactic drugs, like PrEP, which many gay people have embraced as a long-awaited panacea. “We need to be really vigilant and open about the fact that these drugs are not to be taken to increase our ability to have recreational sex,” he says. “There’s an incredible underlying irresponsibility to that way of thinking…and we don’t yet know enough about this vein of medication to see where it’ll take us down the line.”

I keep hearing this argument, including here on RJ. To me, it sounds like they want to bring back the horror of AIDS in 80s just to teach people a lesson for thinking it was safe to go back into the water...

It's unpleasant but still true: the gay community spent many years being incredibly, sluttily irresponsible about AIDS, which is near 100% preventable. The fact that so many gays died from it is mathematical proof of how idiotically careless gays have been. If a gay doesn't use a condom with a random hook-up, then I have no more sympathy for that fellow gay than I do for a loser of Russian Roulette.

If you've ever been to the Datalounge website of the most emotionally damaged gays online, there are numerous man-whores who brag about having hundreds of random hook-ups. As for me, I can count the number of my always-condomed sex partners (of both genders) I've had on both of my hands. But at least I'm a healthy dude with no infections/viruses of any kind.

"Sadly the "AIDS" comments in this article are grossly misleading and dangerous.

MYTH: "Recreational" Sex (whatever that is) is responsible for spreading HIV.TRUTH: 68% of new M2M HIV infections are acquired in the context of a "primary" and presumably monogamous relationship. Love is the NOT best protector from HIV. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19417579)

MYTH: That people have more "Recreational" (i.e., riskier) sex on PrEP.TRUTH: There is no evidence of "risk compensation" amongst individuals who use PrEP (http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0081997).TRUTH: Only 16.4% of men were using condoms consistently in encounters with other men, 'recreational' or otherwise, before PrEP was around. (http://www.aidsmap.com/Consistent-condom-use-in-a…/…/2586976).

MYTH: "We don’t yet know enough about this vein of medication to see where it’ll take us down the line.”TRUTH: We know plenty about this "vein" of medication. The minimal side effects in HIV+ individuals were well documented prior to FDA approval of Truvada in 2004. Side effects in HIV negative since trials began in 2007 have been even fewer. Truvada has been documented as safe when used in conjunction with baseline assessments of renal function and routine monitoring of creatine clearance. (http://www.aidsmap.com/Tenofovir-HIV-PrEP.../page/2854906/)

It is disappointing to see a public figure purport such glaring inaccuracies. I'd like to see Mr. Quinto clarify his statements with OUT to learn if he was negligently misinformed, or willfully mislead.

TheSkyWasYellow saidIt's unpleasant but still true: the gay community spent many years being incredibly, sluttily irresponsible about AIDS, which is near 100% preventable. The fact that so many gays died from it is mathematical proof of how idiotically careless gays have been. If a gay doesn't use a condom with a random hook-up, then I have no more sympathy for that fellow gay than I do for a loser of Russian Roulette.

If you've ever been to the Datalounge website of the most emotionally damaged gays online, there are numerous man-whores who brag about having hundreds of random hook-ups. As for me, I can count the number of my always-condomed sex partners (of both genders) I've had on both of my hands. But at least I'm a healthy dude with no infections/viruses of any kind.

I'm always dubious as to the sincerity of someone who constantly refers to gay people as 'a gay', 'gays', 'gay', rather than 'a gay person', 'gay people', 'gay man'. It reads a bit like a GOP politician's diatribe.

I'm not sure if there's any good way to talk about a topic concerning hiv without someone getting offended. I'm sure people don't want to be judged but I'm also sure they want someone to care. It would be disheartening if everyone had a "what you do and whatever may or may not happen to you as a result is none of my business or concern" perspective

tmac saidI'm not sure if there's any good way to talk about a topic concerning hiv without someone getting offended. I'm sure people don't want to be judged but I'm also sure they want someone to care. It would be disheartening if everyone had a "what you do and whatever may or may not happen to you as a result is none of my business or concern" perspective

I think that Zack Quinto has a good valid point about the complacency in the gay community especially among gay men age 29 and under. There is this dangerous trend of barebacking increasing among the younger gay guys when they damned well know that this is not only wrong but very risky. I think the gay community earned this criticism because many gay men have let their guard down and have become much more careless. We are just asking for serious trouble again as a community and on top of that giving all the NARROW MINDED BIBLE THUMPING SCREWBALLS on the right more fodder to attack and condemn us. I clearly remember the dark days of the 1980s when I was firmly in the closet, living a lie while hundreds of gay men were dying from this deadly disease from Africa. I don't want to see a repeat of those horrible times. Good riddance to the 1980s.

TheSkyWasYellow saidIt's unpleasant but still true: the gay community spent many years being incredibly, sluttily irresponsible about AIDS, which is near 100% preventable. The fact that so many gays died from it is mathematical proof of how idiotically careless gays have been. If a gay doesn't use a condom with a random hook-up, then I have no more sympathy for that fellow gay than I do for a loser of Russian Roulette.

If you've ever been to the Datalounge website of the most emotionally damaged gays online, there are numerous man-whores who brag about having hundreds of random hook-ups. As for me, I can count the number of my always-condomed sex partners (of both genders) I've had on both of my hands. But at least I'm a healthy dude with no infections/viruses of any kind.

I'm always dubious as to the sincerity of someone who constantly refers to gay people as 'a gay', 'gays', 'gay', rather than 'a gay person', 'gay people', 'gay man'. It reads a bit like a GOP politician's diatribe.

You paranoid fool, I simply use the word "gay" because it's shorter & quicker to type than "gay whatever." I suggest you get help for your disorder because your nitpicking is reading things into my post which don't exiswt. Furthermore, I'm a gay guy who is NOT a pedantic crybaby about exact terminology, I just go for whatever gets my message across. Forgive me for being a straight-shooter who doesn't sugarcoat things in vomitous political correctness.

TheSkyWasYellow saidIt's unpleasant but still true: the gay community spent many years being incredibly, sluttily irresponsible about AIDS, which is near 100% preventable. The fact that so many gays died from it is mathematical proof of how idiotically careless gays have been. If a gay doesn't use a condom with a random hook-up, then I have no more sympathy for that fellow gay than I do for a loser of Russian Roulette.

If you've ever been to the Datalounge website of the most emotionally damaged gays online, there are numerous man-whores who brag about having hundreds of random hook-ups. As for me, I can count the number of my always-condomed sex partners (of both genders) I've had on both of my hands. But at least I'm a healthy dude with no infections/viruses of any kind.

I'm always dubious as to the sincerity of someone who constantly refers to gay people as 'a gay', 'gays', 'gay', rather than 'a gay person', 'gay people', 'gay man'. It reads a bit like a GOP politician's diatribe.